This was one of the worst dining experiences my husband and I have had in recent past. The food quality is scary low. Word to the wise: if you come here, BYOS (bring your own syrup).
We came in on a weekend for brunch, and it was almost entirely empty, which is a red flag for Alameda brunch spots.
The prices are insane. I ordered an avocado omelette, which was small, came with a very small portion of home fries, and contained a glob of sour cream, some Swiss cheese, and about four thin slices of avocado (I'd guess it's a quarter of an avocado at most), and that was $19! My husband ordered a burger and then we also shared a short stack of pancakes and our check was $70. If the food had been good and/or generous portions, maybe that could be overlooked, but the portions were tiny, and the food was absolutely awful.
Everything had this weird smell. It honestly makes me cringe to think back at it because the smell was really unsettling, like it was giving human flesh or something. I don't know why I'm saying that because I've never smelled a dead body, but for some reason, I just think that's what it would smell like. When I noticed it, I was trying to figure out if it was my husband's burger, the pancakes or my omelette. And then I realized that all of them smelled like it. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to spoil his appetite, but on the ride home, we both unleashed about how bad everything was and I don't remember if it was he or I who brought up the smell, but we both had noticed it on everything.
I asked for my home fries extra crispy and they certainly were not. His burger was spongy, bland and just so weird. It didn't seem like beef whatsoever... Like a McDonald's patty tasted more like beef than whatever this thing was. Everything was super bland. The pancakes had virtually no taste. Even my raisin toast was bland (and cold and burnt yet somehow still soggy). I asked for jam for my toast and they brought me a virtually empty store-bought jar of jam that had this little spoon in it. It was so unhygienic, that after I spread a little bit on my toast and thought about how unhygienic it was, I couldn't keep eating my toast. My husband asked for more jam because the jar was literally empty, and he was hoping they would bring us a fresh one, but they did not. The weirdest part about everything was the syrup. It was extremely clear that they water it down, no question about that, but we wondered whether the original product was actually even maple syrup. The color is really light and the consistency is so thin that it doesn't stay on anything. My guess is that they are using the absolute lowest quality pancake syrup available and then diluting it 50% water. It was just so clear that they were using the lowest quality food possible and trying to save money wherever they could, that it was downright unsettling.
It seems like a humble mom n pop establishment, so I hate to tear it a new one like this, but I honestly question the food safety there and I have to be honest about that... how can a small omelet with cheese and a couple shavings of avocado cost $19? I get egg prices have gone up, but that's insane. And watering down pancake syrup? How much money are they saving by doing that, at the expense of their customers? read more